Often known as the "Crown Jewel of Nutrition" for its many health benefits, broccoli is a great addition to any summer menu. Boiled, steamed, stir-fried or raw, broccoli is vitamin-rich, high in fiber, low in calories (45 percent of which is protein) and virtually fat-free. It's also a great source of calcium, matching the calcium content of milk gram for gram.

Include broccoli in your meal plans and you'll be well on your way to reducing your risk of certain cancers (particularly colon cancer and lung cancer), diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease. And as if that weren't enough, the American Dietetic Association wants you to know that eating broccoli may help you lose weight: Because it's high in fiber, eating broccoli fills you up without adding extra calories.

Summer is the perfect time to look for fresh, young broccoli in the produce section of your market. Serve it raw as an hors d'oeuvre with dipping sauce (low-cal ranch dressing is a good choice), or add it to green salads for a flavorful crunch.

The following salad recipe is a great summer side dish that won't add inches to your waistline:

* Wash and prepare broccoli and green onions. Set aside.* Mix together mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.* Pour over vegetables.* Add Feta cheese and olives.* Toss well and place in refrigerator for 2-4 hours.* Serve on lettuce leaves on chilled plates.

If you prefer your broccoli cooked, remember that cooked broccoli should be crisp and bright, and just tender enough that you can pierce the stalks with a sharp knife. Steaming and microwaving preserve more nutrients, but you also can cook broccoli in boiling water. The florets tend to cook much faster than the stalks, but it's easy to avoid overcooked broccoli if you cut an "X" in the bottom of each stalk (or split the stalks about halfwayup) before cooking. Another method is to cut off the florets, adding them to the cooking pot after the stalks have cooked for two or three minutes.

As a side-dish vegetable, broccoli is easy to "dress up." Stay away from the traditional (although admittedly yummy) cheese sauce if you're watching your weight. A drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil over cooked broccoli is a tasty way to serve this vegetable without adding extra calories.

The following recipe also is a low-cal way to serve cooked broccoli, and preparation is a snap:

* Wash and cut broccoli.* Steam in a microwave (about 3-5 minutes) or cook in boiling water (about 10 minutes) until barely tender and still bright green.* Finely chop the garlic.* Place olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.* Add salt, then garlic to hot oil.* Sauté, stirring frequently, until garlic starts to soften.* Add the water, then pepper.* Lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes.* Place cooked broccoli in a serving bowl and pour the garlic mixture over it.* Mix gently to coat.

my missus reminded me yesterday that we got given a steamer for xmas. i eat a lot of brocolli and was wonderin if anyone could tell me how long it takes to steam as ive never done it before?also, can a bodybuilder eat too much brocolli? ive been having it everyday for the past couple of weeks

Brocolli is one of my favourite foods, well vegetables. It really helped me to control my eating when i was cutting my carbs down when i was losing weight last year. Barely any calories and lovely steamed!